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STEM get girls encouraged?

Hi Jennifer,
I found a few resources in the Learning Center that discuss how we can engage and excite girls in STEM. See if these may be helpful for you:
http://common.nsta.org/resource/?id=10.2505/PKEB221X
http://common.nsta.org/resource/?id=10.2505/4/ss08_032_04_40
I also wonder if you may be interested in attending a Web Seminar or Conference about STEM? I have included the links for both here, but if you have more questions, please let me know!
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/Ag/webseminar3.aspx
http://www.nsta.org/conferences/stem.aspx
-Megan

I have never understood where the message comes from that girls "can't do Science". I currently am an intern at the Maryland Science Center for one of my education classes and this is a topic that came up on my first visit as my leader and myself are both females and we were doing small science experiments for and with students. My leader told me that at the Science Center they just try their best to create experiments that are very tactile and will attract girls as well as boys. Many girls during my visit seemed to very interested in our experiment with conductive play-dough. The Science Center website is a great resource for experiments like this.

Sydney
I appreciate you asking your question. The late Sally Ride, the first US female NASA astronaut made involving girls in STEM a high priority throughout her efforts called Sally Ride Science. Leland Melvin, retired NASA astronaut (2 flights aboard ISS)-and prior head of NASA education is also speaking out on this topic.
Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin recently hosted a summit called the role of men in supporting women in STEM, w/ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Robert Lightfoot, Acting NASA administrator, opened up the discussion talking about his two daughters, and stayed the entire day! URL below. One speaker, from SAP shared how it recently met its goal to have 25% of all Exec leadership positions filled by women (it took them 7 years to get there). So at certain levels, it is not about a lack of emphasis or desire. Several studies were shared about the increase in productivity, innovation and creativity when diversity exist in business teams!
Maybe it is about a deliberate intentionality to mentor/inform teachers, counselors, and administrators with how they might better recruit, support and encourage girls involvement in STEM!
See:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/second-annual-women-in-stem-conference-brings-men-into-the-equation
Girls that code has this obviously as a focus as well.
Thanks for bringing this important topic forward for discussion.
I wonder what STEM support curriculum encourages females? I know NSTA's competitions offer a wide range of potential areas for exploration or engineering designed solutions and many teams have female participation!
See:
Http:www.nsta.org/competitions
Cheers
Al

When I was a PreK-6th science specialist, I often heard from parents of my female students that the kids were inspired to go into the sciences because they saw that I had done so as a female. I wasn't intentionally being a female STEM role model, but they had always had a male science teacher up until this point.
I think that the whole idea of "you can't be what you can't see" rings true here. Providing good examples of females in the sciences (and not all historical ones!) is really important. I think it's also important to remember we just need to be providing examples of people in the STEM field that are accessible and relatable to ALL of our students, across all aspects of race, gender and physical ability.
Here is a post about keeping girls interested in science, that I wrote quite some time ago, it probably needs an update, but you might find something of use in here. http://www.shareitscience.com/2015/03/science-teaching-toolbox-girl-power.html